Sheriff's Office identifies another Green River victim

BY SCOTT GUTIERREZ, SEATTLEPI.COM STAFF

Updated 2:44 pm, Monday, June 18, 2012

Photo: (Courtesy Of The King County Sheriff's Office)

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Sandra
Denise Major's remains were found at Mountview Cemetery in Auburn
during the Green River murder investigations. Investigators identified
her remains in 2012 using DNA samples after a family member called the
King County Sheriff's Office.

Gary Leon Ridgway, also known as the Green River Killer, looks at a photographer during a hearing in the courtroom of Judge Mary E. Roberts. Ridgway pleaded guilty for the killing of Rebecca 'Becky' Marrero during the hearing on Friday, February 18, 2011. less

Gary Leon Ridgway, also known as the Green River Killer, looks at a photographer during a hearing in the courtroom of Judge Mary E. Roberts. Ridgway pleaded guilty for the killing of Rebecca 'Becky' Marrero ... more

Photo: JOSHUA TRUJILLO

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Gary Leon Ridgway is seen in this undated King County Sheriff's booking mug. Ridgway, 52, was arrested Nov. 30, 2001 for investigation of homicide in the deaths of four women slain in 1982 by the so-called Green River Killer, the King County sheriff said. (AP Photo/King County Sheriff's Dept.) less

Gary Leon Ridgway is seen in this undated King County Sheriff's booking mug. Ridgway, 52, was arrested Nov. 30, 2001 for investigation of homicide in the deaths of four women slain in 1982 by the so-called ... more

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Gary Leon Ridgway is seen in this 1982 King County Sheriff's booking mug shot. (AP Photo/King County Sheriff's Department, ho)

Gary Leon Ridgway is seen in this 1982 King County Sheriff's booking mug shot. (AP Photo/King County Sheriff's Department, ho)

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Cynthia Hinds is seen in this undated photo provided by the King County Sheriff's department. (AP Photo/King County Sheriff's Dept., ho)

Cynthia Hinds is seen in this undated photo provided by the King County Sheriff's department. (AP Photo/King County Sheriff's Dept., ho)

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Carol Christensen is seen in this undated photo provided by the King County Sheriff's department. (AP Photo/King County Sheriff's Dept., ho)

Carol Christensen is seen in this undated photo provided by the King County Sheriff's department. (AP Photo/King County Sheriff's Dept., ho)

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Opal Mills is seen in this undated photo provided by the King County Sheriff's department. (AP Photo/King County Sheriff's Dept., ho)

Opal Mills is seen in this undated photo provided by the King County Sheriff's department. (AP Photo/King County Sheriff's Dept., ho)

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Marcia Chapman is seen in this undated photo provided by the King County Sheriff's department. (AP Photo/King County Sheriff's Dept., ho)

Marcia Chapman is seen in this undated photo provided by the King County Sheriff's department. (AP Photo/King County Sheriff's Dept., ho)

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Sarah Christiansen holds up a photo of herself and her mother, Carol Ann Christensen, who disappeared May 3, 1983, when Sarah was six. Christensen was counted as one of the 48 victims of Gary Ridgeway, the Green River Killer. less

Sarah Christiansen holds up a photo of herself and her mother, Carol Ann Christensen, who disappeared May 3, 1983, when Sarah was six. Christensen was counted as one of the 48 victims of Gary Ridgeway, the ... more

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Kevin Winston, brother of Green River Killer victim Tracy Winston, shows off a tatoo bearing the initials of his sister as he testifies in a King County Superior Courtroom on Dec. 18, 2003. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson) less

Kevin Winston, brother of Green River Killer victim Tracy Winston, shows off a tatoo bearing the initials of his sister as he testifies in a King County Superior Courtroom on Dec. 18, 2003. (AP Photo/Elaine ... more

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Green River Killer Gary Leon Ridgway cries as he faces Judge Richard A. Jones after reading a statement to the court in a King County Superior Courtroom on Dec. 18, 2003. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, pool)

Green River Killer Gary Leon Ridgway cries as he faces Judge Richard A. Jones after reading a statement to the court in a King County Superior Courtroom on Dec. 18, 2003. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, pool)

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The courtroom was filled for the sentecing of Gary Ridgway in King County Superior Court Thursday Dec. 18, 2003, in Seattle. Ridgway recieved a life sentence for 48 counts of murder in the Green River Killer serial murder case, which began in 1982 and was the largest unsolved serial murder case in American history. (AP Photo/Joshua Trujillo, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, pool) less

The courtroom was filled for the sentecing of Gary Ridgway in King County Superior Court Thursday Dec. 18, 2003, in Seattle. Ridgway recieved a life sentence for 48 counts of murder in the Green River Killer ... more

Photo: Joshua Trujillo, Seattlepi.com

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Green River Killer Gary Leon Ridgway cries in King County Superior Court, Thursday Dec. 18, 2003, in Seattle, as he listens to testimony from relatives of his victims. Ridgway, who terrorized Seattle in the early 1980s, tearfully apologized for ``killing all those young ladies'' as a judge sentenced him to life in prison without the chance of release. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson) less

Green River Killer Gary Leon Ridgway cries in King County Superior Court, Thursday Dec. 18, 2003, in Seattle, as he listens to testimony from relatives of his victims. Ridgway, who terrorized Seattle in the ... more

Photo: Associated Press

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Virginia Graham, sister of Debra Estes, a victim of Green River killer Gary Ridgway, speaks in court at Ridgway's sentencing on Thursday Dec. 18, 2003, in Seattle. At right, an unidentified family member holds a photo of Virginia and Debra as children. Ridgway, who confessed last month to strangling 48 women over the past two decades, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of release or parole. (AP Photo/Joshua Trujillo, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, pool) less

Virginia Graham, sister of Debra Estes, a victim of Green River killer Gary Ridgway, speaks in court at Ridgway's sentencing on Thursday Dec. 18, 2003, in Seattle. At right, an unidentified family member holds ... more

Photo: Joshua Trujillo, Seattlepi.com

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Superior Court Judge Richard A. Jones reads Gary Ridgway's sentence in King County Superior Court on Thursday Dec. 18, 2003, in Seattle. Ridgway recieved a life sentence without a chance for release for 48 counts of murder in the Green River Killer serial murder case, which began in 1982 and was the largest unsolved serial murder case in American history. (AP Photo/Joshua Trujillo, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, pool) less

Superior Court Judge Richard A. Jones reads Gary Ridgway's sentence in King County Superior Court on Thursday Dec. 18, 2003, in Seattle. Ridgway recieved a life sentence without a chance for release for 48 ... more

Photo: Joshua Trujillo, Seattlepi.com

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Joan Mackie, mother of Green River Killer victim Cindy Smith, sobs at the sentencing of Gary Ridgway in King County Superior Court Thursday Dec. 18, 2003, in Seattle. Ridgway was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of release for 48 counts of murder in the Green River Killer serial murder case, which began in 1982 and was the largest unsolved serial murder case in American history. (AP Photo/Joshua Trujillo, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, pool) less

Joan Mackie, mother of Green River Killer victim Cindy Smith, sobs at the sentencing of Gary Ridgway in King County Superior Court Thursday Dec. 18, 2003, in Seattle. Ridgway was sentenced to life in prison ... more

Photo: Joshua Trujillo, Seattlepi.com

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Jose Malvar Jr., brother of Marie Malvar, a victim of Green River Killer Gary Ridgeway, speaks at Ridgway's sentencing in King County Superior Court Thursday Dec. 18, 2003, in Seattle. Ridgway, who terrorized Seattle in the early 1980s, tearfully apologized for ``killing all those young ladies'' as a judge sentenced him to life in prison without the chance of release. (AP Photo/Joshua Trujillo, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, pool) less

Jose Malvar Jr., brother of Marie Malvar, a victim of Green River Killer Gary Ridgeway, speaks at Ridgway's sentencing in King County Superior Court Thursday Dec. 18, 2003, in Seattle. Ridgway, who terrorized ... more

Photo: Joshua Trujillo, Seattlepi.com

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Marilyn Molina, sister of Marie Malvar, a victim of Green River Killer Gary Ridgway, speaks at Ridgway's sentencing in King County Superior Court, Thursday Dec. 18, 2003, in Seattle. Ridgway, who terrorized Seattle in the early 1980s, tearfully apologized for ``killing all those young ladies'' as a judge sentenced him Thursday to life in prison without the chance of release. (AP Photo/Joshua Trujillo, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, pool) less

Marilyn Molina, sister of Marie Malvar, a victim of Green River Killer Gary Ridgway, speaks at Ridgway's sentencing in King County Superior Court, Thursday Dec. 18, 2003, in Seattle. Ridgway, who terrorized ... more

Photo: Joshua Trujillo, Seattlepi.com

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Green River Killer Gary Ridgway prepares to leave the King County Superior Courtroom where he was sentenced Thursday Dec. 18, 2003, in Seattle. Ridgway will spend the rest of his life in prison for 48 counts of murder in the Green River Killer serial murder case, the largest unsolved serial murder case in American history. (AP Photo/Joshua Trujillo, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, pool) less

Green River Killer Gary Ridgway prepares to leave the King County Superior Courtroom where he was sentenced Thursday Dec. 18, 2003, in Seattle. Ridgway will spend the rest of his life in prison for 48 counts ... more

Photo: Joshua Trujillo, Seattlepi.com

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Former King County detective and sheriff and now congressman Dave Reichert, whose book about the solving of the Green River killer was made into a TV movie is photographed in March 2008 in his Mercer Island office. (Photo Scott Eklund/Seattle Post-Intelligencer) less

Former King County detective and sheriff and now congressman Dave Reichert, whose book about the solving of the Green River killer was made into a TV movie is photographed in March 2008 in his Mercer Island ... more

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Green River killer Gary Ridgway is led toward King County Superior Court Judge Richard Jones's courtroom in King County Courthouse for a hearing in 2003.

Green River killer Gary Ridgway is led toward King County Superior Court Judge Richard Jones's courtroom in King County Courthouse for a hearing in 2003.

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Shown here, from left, are: Carrie A. Rois, Kimberly L. Nelson, Lisa Yates, Mary Exzetta West and Cindy Anne Smith, in these undated photos released by the King County Sheriff's Department. They are reported to be among 49 women who disappeared between the summer of 1982 to March 1984 believed to have been victims of the so-called Green River killer. Four suspected victims remain unidentified. (AP Photo/King County Sheriff's Office, File) less

Shown here, from left, are: Carrie A. Rois, Kimberly L. Nelson, Lisa Yates, Mary Exzetta West and Cindy Anne Smith, in these undated photos released by the King County Sheriff's Department. They are reported to ... more

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Shown from upper left are : Debra Lorraine Estes, Denise Darcel Bush, Shawnda Leea Summers, Shirley Marie Sherrill, Rebecca T. Marrero (top row, far right) Colleen Renee Brockman, Alma Ann Smith, Delores LaVerne Williams, Gail Lynn Mathews and Andrea M. Childers,in these undated photos released by the King County Sheriff's Department. The women shown here are reported to be among 49 women who disappeared between the summer of 1982 and March 1984 believed to have been victims of the so-called Green River killer. Four suspected victims remain unidentified. (AP Photo/King County Sheriff's Office, File) less

** FILE ** Shown here, from top left, are: Kelly Marie Ware, Tina Marie Thompson, April Dawn Buttram, Debbie May Abernathy, Tracy Ann Winston, Maureen Sue Feeney, Mary Sue Bello, Patricia Anne Osborn, Pammy Avent and Delise Louise Plager, in these undated photos released by the King County Sheriff's Department. They are reported to be among 49 women who disappeared between the summer of 1982 to March 1984 believed to have been victims of the so-called Green River killer. Four suspected victims remain unidentified. (AP Photo/King County Sheriff's Office, File) less

Shown from top left, are Sandra Kay Gabbert, Kimi-Kai Pitsor, Marie M. Malvar, Carol Christensen, Martina Theresa Authorlee, Cheryl Lee Wims, Yvonne Shelly Antosh, Constance Elizabeth Naon, Tammie Charlene Liles and Keli K. McGinness, in these undated photos released by the King County Sheriff's Department. These women are reported to be among 49 women who disappeared between the summer of 1982 and March 1984 believed to have been victims of the so-called Green River killer. Four suspected victims remain unidentified. (AP Photo/King County Sheriff's Office, File) less

Shown here, from top left, are: Amina Agisheff, Wendy Lee Coffield, Gisele Ann Lovvorn, Debra Lynn Bonner, Marcia Faye Chapman, Cynthia Jean Hinds, Opal Charmaine Mills, Kassee Ann Lee, Terry Rene Milligan, and Mary Bridget Meehan, in these undated photos released by the King County Sheriff's Department. They are reported to be among 49 women who disappeared between the summer of 1982 to March 1984 believed to have been victims of the so-called Green River killer. Four suspected victims remain unidentified. (AP Photo/King County Sheriff's Office, File) less

Shirley Bonner, 79, of Tacoma, as looks at a photo album at her kitchen table that has pictures of her daughter Debra taken when she was growing up. Debra was killed by the Green River killer in 1982. The pictures Bonner is looking at here taken when Debra was 3 and 4 years old. Photo By Scott Eklund less

Shirley Bonner, 79, of Tacoma, as looks at a photo album at her kitchen table that has pictures of her daughter Debra taken when she was growing up. Debra was killed by the Green River killer in 1982. The ... more

Former King Co. (Wash.) Sheriff Dave Reichert, left, stares intently at Green River Killer Gary Leon Ridgway, right, in this image from video taken from an Aug. 20, 2003, interrogation of Ridgway near Seattle. The image is from more than 400 hours of Ridgway video released Feb. 9, 2004, by the King County Prosecutor's Office in Seattle. Ridgway pleaded guilty in 2003 to 48 counts of aggrevated first-degree murder in killings from 1982-1991. (AP Photo/Coutesy King Co. Prosecutor's Office) less

Former King Co. (Wash.) Sheriff Dave Reichert, left, stares intently at Green River Killer Gary Leon Ridgway, right, in this image from video taken from an Aug. 20, 2003, interrogation of Ridgway near Seattle. ... more

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Rebecca Morrero is seen in a family photo taken shortly before her 1982 abduction by Gary Ridgway, the Green River Killer.

Rebecca Morrero is seen in a family photo taken shortly before her 1982 abduction by Gary Ridgway, the Green River Killer.

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Sheriff's Office identifies another Green River victim

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King County sheriff's investigators used DNA samples from a missing woman's family to identify her as another victim of Green River Killer Gary Ridgway, the Sheriff's Office announced Monday.

Sandra Denise Major's remains were found Dec. 30, 1985, at Mountview Cemetery in Auburn. Two other women, including Kimi Pitsor, another Green River victim, and a woman who has yet to be identified, also were found.

The break in solving Major's identity came last April, when Major's cousin, who lives in Rochester, N.Y., contacted the Sheriff's Office afer seeing a made-for-television movie about the Green River case. Family members suspected that Major was one of Ridgway's victims, the Sheriff's Office said.

"Detectives learned that Major had been reported missing on Dec. 24, 1982, by a friend who saw her get into a truck near N 90th St and Aurora Ave N," the Sheriff's Office said in a news release. "Detectives said that not enough was known about Major to positively identify her when her remains were discovered in 1985. Detectives said that family members coming forward and advances in technology were instrumental in Major's identification."

Major was 20 at the time.

Investigators obtained a DNA sample from Major's family and submitted it to a lab at the Center for Human Identification at the University of North Texas. The Rochester Police Department and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children assisted.

Major's remains first were named "Bones 16" because detectives could not identify her and she was the 16th set of remains to be found during the investigation.

Ridgway has pleaded guilty to killing Major and the two other women found at the cemetery. In all, Ridgway has pleaded guilty to killed 49 women and is serving a life sentence in prison.

The Sheriff's Office says three sets of remains have yet to be identified.